JETS BEYOND BAND-AIDS JOHNSON NOW KEEPS OPINION UNDER WRAPS

It's a good thing Jets owner Woody Johnson has already made his millions elsewhere because he has no future in the business of player evaluation. First Johnson said last week that the Jets' talent was the "equal or better than anything out there.

" And, then apparently realizing how ridiculous that sounded, retracted and downgraded his rankings two days later, claiming the Jets were in "at least the middle of the league or better.

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" Johnson overrated his team twice. He and GM Terry Bradway have stuck Herm Edwards with bottom-10 talent. Maybe bottom five. That's why the Jets are 0-4. The Jags and Chargers are the only other 0-4 teams. Didn't Rich Kotite leave the building years ago? Even the Bengals have won a game. The result is Edwards, who went through an emotional week after Johnson made it seem like he was placing the blame on him, is coaching like a desperate man. He has a field goal-only offense and a run defense that turned Dallas' Troy Hambrick into Emmitt Smith, as he rushed for 127 of the Cowboys' 202 yards in the Jets' 17-6 loss. There is no hope. The only good news is Bradway can now concentrate on what he will do with a top-five pick in the 2004 draft and perhaps come up with a free agency plan that works. After Edwards told the team last week, "The way we've done things around here has worked well and if that's not good enough, they need to fire me," you would think the players would back up their coach and play with extra emotion. Instead, they put on another humiliating performance. And maybe there is something about Bill Parcells that messes up the thought process of the New York coaches. Jim Fassel two weeks ago and now Edwards made the wrong calls in crunch time against the ex-Giants and ex-Jets coach. The Jets were down 11 when they faced a fourth-and-three from the Cowboys' 10 with 2:38 left. Edwards called his second timeout. The Jets needed two scores. Edwards should have taken the field goal, pleaded with his defense to get the ball back, and then gone for the TD and two-point conversion. "You got to get some excitement going for these guys," Edwards said. "At that point, in my mind, a field goal is not helping us.

" Typical of the Jets, Vinny Testaverde, with the blitz coming, threw to Wayne Chrebet one yard short of the first down. He was brought down immediately. Only the Jets would throw short in that situation. Edwards should have kicked the field goal to keep his team in the game. But he's desperate. The Jets have scored 45 points - only three touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, the runnerup for the head coaching job in San Francisco, is not doing anything to help himself get a job next year with his inability to find a way to stop average backs from having Pro Bowl days. And with Testaverde at quarterback, the field looks 200 yards long. The reason he was benched last year is the reason he would be benched this year if Edwards had any alternatives while he waits for Chad Pennington. But going to rookie Brooks Bollinger would be a clear sign he was giving up on the season. He would lose the team. Johnson told Edwards after the game to "hang in there," but when the owner was approached by a reporter, he shook his head and said, "No.

" Too bad. It would have been nice to find out where he now ranks the Jets' talent after seeing his them outplayed by a squad that won a total of 15 games in the last three seasons. Edwards' strength is his ability to motivate his players. But no speeches get the Jets out of this mess. Last year, his "you play to win the game" address inspired. That stuff can't work every year. "I feel we let Herman down four times this year," Curtis Martin said. Nothing is working. Two crucial replays went against the Jets. Martin fumbled the ball on his way to the end zone in the second quarter - but, of course, if he scored, it would have been called back for holding. The Same Old Jets are back in business. "Obviously, I am hurting," Edwards said. "I am the coach and I feel for the players and for everyone in the organization.

" Even the owner without a future in player evaluation. E-mail: gmyers@edit.